Printing press former



April 18, 1950 c, s CRAFTS 2,504,502

PRINTING PRESS FORMER Filed July 20, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l April 1950 c.s. CRAFTS 2,504,502

PRINTING PRESS FORMER Filed July 20, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1% Z L Z 1 vPatented Apr. 18, 1950 UNITE STATES PAT'EN T 0F FICEE.

PRINTINGZBRESS FORMER Curtis S. Grafts, Oak Park, I111, assignor to The-GossPrinting-Press Company, Chicago, IlL, a corporation of; IllinoisApplication. July 20, 1945,. Serial No. 606,132

'7 Claims.

The invention relates to folders 'forprinting presses andmore-particularly to novel and useful mounting for the former whichmakes-the first or longitudinal fold in'the associated webs from aprinting press.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in parthereinafter-and in part will be obvious herefrom,-or* may be learned bypractice with the invention, the game being realized and attained bymeans of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed? out in theappended claims.

The invention consistsinthe novel parts, constructions, arrangements;combinations andimprovements herein shown and described.

Theaccompanyingdrawings, referred to hereinand constituting a parthereof, illustrate one embodiment: of the invention, and together withthe description, serve toexplain the principles of the invention.

0f the drawings? Lisa sideelevation-With'parts insection of mechanismembodying 1 the invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same mechanism;

Eig'. Suisasecti'on taken on line-3-3-of Fig. 1; and

Fig. lis: a section takenon: line A -4 of Fig. 1;

Objects: oi :the. inventiomare to -provide an imprayed mountingfortheweb folding former; said improvements. relatingspecifically to means:for varying. the angular settingof theiormer for productsofidifferentthicknesses. by slightly raising andwloweringcthe. former nose.about: an axis near the. top-.of, the. former; said. variations informer. inclinationbeing. efiected. without substantial. change-in the.relation between the top ing angles and distances with the maximum ofease andthe minimum of binding. or constriction. The improvedconstruction of the invention also facilitates-ease of assembly of theformer and its mounting.

Broadly described, the invention provides a pivotal mounting 1 fortheformer adjacent its upper edge, so that angular movement may beimparted'to the lower tip of the former about This pivotal mounting isexceedingly simple-"in construction comprising merely a hinge on a"shaft; the axis of the hinge beinglocatedto therear andslightl-ybelow"the-level of the-axis of theupper' roller, so that thethrough the axes of saidhinge and rollerintersects the projected planeof the face of'the'former" at the surface of the roller; that isthe'projected plane-of the former-is-tangent tothe surfaceof the rollersubstantiallyat' the-line of intersection of said axis-connectingplane.

and theupper edge of the former. Relatively simple means are-providedfor imparting the angular adjusting -movement-to the-tip of the former.Means are-- also provided for adjusting the former upand down in itsownplane without disturbing the other elements of the mounting.

It will be understood that theforegoinggeneral description and thefollowing detailed description as well are exemplary andexplanatory/but:

are not restrictive-of the invention.

Referring now in detail to the present pre ferred embodiment of theinvention, illustrated bywaycfexample in the accompanying drawings, theformer l0 and its associated parts are.

mounted on and supportedfr'om a main bracket il whic'his-triangularin"side' elevation and" rec tanguiar in plan, Atits upperedge, a cleat F2" i bolted so that its flange overlies and is. guided bythe projecting lip 13 of the upper folder crcss'-' brace M".

The former I0 comprises a triangular. plate o1. generally conventionalform, having a downwardly tapered and. angled nose 2t and horizontalupper edge or, base 2! from which pro-' jects a tapered, edge-formingblade 22. Said; form r plate is mounted, by means hereafter described"in detail, upon a former-supporting bracket25. Said bracliet'is of opentriangular. construction and designed to lie behind-the'foriner i9 andfor the most'part in a plane parallelv therewith;

In accordance with the invention means. are provided for supporting theformer bracket- 25. for" hinged movement about a horizontal axis at theupper end of said bracket. For this purpose. the bracket 25; is providedwith rearwardly and upwardlyicurved yoke armsv 25' which. at theirendsare provided with bushings 21' journaled plane passing Thisconstructicnpermits angular adjustment" of the" former tip withoutsubstantially changing the" spatialrelation between the surface oftheroller about either end of horizontally-disposed shaft 28. Said shaftis supported in brackets 29 formed along the top of the main bracket H.The former-supporting bracket is thus free to turn about fixed shaft 28.The upper web guide roller 30, which lies parallel with and almost incontact with the upper edge of the blade 22, is thus positioned betweenthe shaft 28 and the blade 22. In accordance with the invention, it isdesirable that the edge of blade 22 be maintained in said close spatialrelation to the periphery of the roller 35 throughout any angularmovement which may be imparted to the former for adjustments of the noseend 20 thereof. Bearing in mind that the upper edge of blade 22 of theformer will travel in a circular are A described about the axis of shaft28 as a center, the positioning of said shaft and the center of roller36 is such that the center line of shaft 28 preferably lies on a lineparallel to the center line of roller 39 and in or substantially near toa plane B passing through said center lines of roller 30 and the line oftangency of the former face It on the opposite peripheral surface of theroller til. possible to maintain relatively the same clearance betweenthe surface of the roller and the edge of blade 22 at the top of theformer throughout all adjustments made at the nose 20 to compensate forvarious thicknesses of prod- 3 note run over the former.

Referring now to the mounting of the former on the supporting parallelbracket 25, means are provided for adjusting the former up and downwithin the inclined plane in which it is normally held. For this purposethe upper part of the rear face of the former is provided with twoparallel spaced apart keys 36 projecting therefrom and disposed to ridein suitable ways provided in the adjacent face of the bracket 25.Similarly key 3? is provided centrally of the former near the lowerportion thereof to fit within keyway slot 39 in the bracket 25. Two setsof locking screws 35 in the upper portion of the former and lockingscrews 38 near the lower portion. are provided for fastening the bracketto the former when the desired longitudinal positioning thereof has beenattained by movement of the former with respect to the bracket. Byloosening the screws 38 and 35, the former may be slid up and down onthe bracket 25 to provide the desired clearance of the blade 22 withrespect to the roller 36. This up-and-down adjusting movement ispreferably effected by screw 46 threaded into the keyway supportingstructure.

The invention provides means for imparting angular movement to the noseend of the former 29 for the purpose described. This means comprises arod 53, one end of which is pivotally connected by cross-shaft 5| to thebottom of the bracket 25. The rod extends rearwardly from said pivotalconnection to a pivotal support on the bracket ii adjacent the rear facethereof, said support being formed on a cross-shaft 55 which isjournaled in brackets 5'0 extending rearwardly from said bracket H. Theshaft 55 is provided with an enlarged central portion 52 which houses atransversely-disposed sleeve 51 surrounding rod 50, the inner end ofwhich sleeve is tightened against shaft 55 by a threaded portion 58 andnut 59. The outer end of said sleeve 51 is enlarged and internallythreaded at 60 to engage the threads 51 formed on the outer end portionof the rod 58. A hand-wheel 62 is pro- By virtue of this construction itis vided for turning said sleeve, thereby to effect axial movement ofthe rod 56 to adjust the position of the nose of the former 20 as willbe clear. Stationary stop pin 65 is set to project from the rear face ofhousing 52, while cooperating stop pin 65 projects inwardly from theforward face of sleeve 72, said pins being preferably provided toprevent more than a full revolution on the part of the hand-Wheel 62,thus providing for complete adjustment in either direction from the zeroor normal angle position of the former by a half turn of the handwheelin either direction. An indicator pointer 'Iil may be formed on theshaft 55, cooperating with a marked dial TI on the flange of the sleeveI2, fixed to the sleeve 5'! by set screw 63.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specificmechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefromwithin the scope of the accompanying claims Without departing from theprinciples of the invention and without sacrificing its chiefadvantages.

What is claimed is:

1. A mounting for a printing press former, including in combination, atriangular former plate mounted in an inclined plane, a horizontalroller adjacent the upper edge of said plate, a bracket forsupporting-said plate in said plane, the bracket being mounted forangular movement about a horizontal axis, and means for varying thepositions of the former plate with respect to said bracket in saidinclined plane.

2. A mounting for a printing press former, including in combination, atriangular former plate mounted in an inclined plane, a horizontalroller adjacent the upper edge of said plate, a bracket for supportingsaid plate in said plane, the bracket being mounted for angular movementabout a horizontal axis, means for varying the positions of the formerplate with respect to said bracket in said inclined plane, and means forvarying the inclination of the plate and bracket about said axis.

3. A mounting for a printing press former, in-. cluding in combination,a triangular former plate mounted in an inclined plane, a horizontalroller adjacent the upper edge of said plate, a bracket for supportingsaid plate in said plane, the bracket being mounted for angular movementabout a horizontal axis, said axis being behind the roller and above thebottom thereof, and means for varying the positions of the former platewith respect to said bracket in said inclined plane.

4. A mounting for a printing press former, including in combination, atriangular former plate mounted in an inclined plane, a horizontalroller adjacent the upper edge of said plate, a bracket for supportingsaid plate in said plane, and means for varying the positions of theformer plate with respect to said bracket in said inclined plane.

5. A mounting for a printing press former, including in combination, atriangular former, a roller adjacent the top edge of said former and abracket supporting the former for pivotal motion about an axis parallelto that of said roller, the center line of the roller being between theupper edge of the former and said pivotal axis, and means for moving theformer in its plane of inclination toward and away from said roller.

6. A mounting for a printing press form'enincluding in combination, atriangular former plate mounted in an inclined plane with its apexlowermost, a support for so mountingsaid plate and means for moving theformer up ,apd d its plane of inclination on said support.

'7. A mounting for a printix g'j'pr'e ormer, including in combination, at fii'mguia ormer plate mounted in mi inclined p l'sl n "its apex10wermost, a. support for r s U r up and down in its plane of inclip itnon said support, and means for varying" 11d plane of incli gigion ofthe former.

t CURTIS s. CRAFTS. g FenENoEs on'ED n t ing said plate Number Number

